Nova Scotia group sponsors first gay refugees
When Iranian refugee couple Navid and Hadi arrived in Halifax on Wednesday, they found friends, food, and a fully furnished apartment waiting for them.
The two young men, fleeing persecution and a possible death sentence in their home country, are the first refugees sponsored by the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia (RRANS),
"In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by execution. They were trying to keep their secret as close to their chests as possible," said Vanessa Jubis, 27, one of the six volunteers who make up RRANS. "It's nice to know they are in a safe place now."
The charity formed two years ago with one goal: Raise enough money to help bring one LBGT refugee fleeing persecution to Nova Scotia and set them up for their first year.
On Wednesday, RRANS finally achieved that goal, twofold, when Navid and his partner Hadi arrived at the Halifax International Airport.
"It's funny because you work so long," RRANS volunteer Kyle DeYoung, 26, said. "I still don't think I've processed what happened. It was awesome. Lots of different emotions at the same time."
The pair had been living in Turkey, working under the table, before coming to Canada. RRANS chose the young couple from a list of approved United Nations refugees whose paperwork was in order.
"It was a heart-wrenching process, because you feel like you're selecting a winner at life. It feels horrible," DeYoung said. "We hadn't initially planned to fund two people. But we felt that coming together, they'd have their own support network already — each other."
The couple came to Halifax via Canada's Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which allows charities, church groups and other organizations to sponsor refugees if they demonstrate they have the money and resources to support them for at least one year.
Slowly but surely, RRANS raised enough to lease the couple an apartment, which volunteers filled with clothes, furniture and household items — all donated from the community.
"Their kitchen setup is probably nicer than my first apartment," Jubis joked.
Volunteers will help the couple learn the city's bus routes and get set up with essentials like groceries, bank accounts and SIN cards.
RRANS already has its next refugee lined up, another Iranian man, currently waiting in India for his application to be processed.
After that, the group will keep fundraising enough to sponsor one refugee at a time.
Navid and Hadi have some plans of their own.
A computer programmer, Navid told the Chronicle Herald in November he wants to find work immediately. And he'd like to check out a pride parade.
"I have watched some videos and they (look) very nice," he said.
Nova Scotia group sponsors first gay refugees | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Love it! I'm sure this will get a few knickers in a knot but fuk 'em. Nobody should have to face death simply because of how they choose to live their lives consensually and with doing harm to no one.
When Iranian refugee couple Navid and Hadi arrived in Halifax on Wednesday, they found friends, food, and a fully furnished apartment waiting for them.
The two young men, fleeing persecution and a possible death sentence in their home country, are the first refugees sponsored by the Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia (RRANS),
"In Iran, homosexuality is punishable by execution. They were trying to keep their secret as close to their chests as possible," said Vanessa Jubis, 27, one of the six volunteers who make up RRANS. "It's nice to know they are in a safe place now."
The charity formed two years ago with one goal: Raise enough money to help bring one LBGT refugee fleeing persecution to Nova Scotia and set them up for their first year.
On Wednesday, RRANS finally achieved that goal, twofold, when Navid and his partner Hadi arrived at the Halifax International Airport.
"It's funny because you work so long," RRANS volunteer Kyle DeYoung, 26, said. "I still don't think I've processed what happened. It was awesome. Lots of different emotions at the same time."
The pair had been living in Turkey, working under the table, before coming to Canada. RRANS chose the young couple from a list of approved United Nations refugees whose paperwork was in order.
"It was a heart-wrenching process, because you feel like you're selecting a winner at life. It feels horrible," DeYoung said. "We hadn't initially planned to fund two people. But we felt that coming together, they'd have their own support network already — each other."
The couple came to Halifax via Canada's Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which allows charities, church groups and other organizations to sponsor refugees if they demonstrate they have the money and resources to support them for at least one year.
Slowly but surely, RRANS raised enough to lease the couple an apartment, which volunteers filled with clothes, furniture and household items — all donated from the community.
"Their kitchen setup is probably nicer than my first apartment," Jubis joked.
Volunteers will help the couple learn the city's bus routes and get set up with essentials like groceries, bank accounts and SIN cards.
RRANS already has its next refugee lined up, another Iranian man, currently waiting in India for his application to be processed.
After that, the group will keep fundraising enough to sponsor one refugee at a time.
Navid and Hadi have some plans of their own.
A computer programmer, Navid told the Chronicle Herald in November he wants to find work immediately. And he'd like to check out a pride parade.
"I have watched some videos and they (look) very nice," he said.
Nova Scotia group sponsors first gay refugees | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Love it! I'm sure this will get a few knickers in a knot but fuk 'em. Nobody should have to face death simply because of how they choose to live their lives consensually and with doing harm to no one.
